Hi
John,
Lately I’ve been thinking about a movie I
first watched back in the 1980’s, called “Saving Grace.” There have been several movies and even a TV
show with the same title, but this particular “Saving Grace” came out in 1986,
based on the novel by Celia Gittelson. The film was directed by Robert M.
Young, and starred Tom Conti. It is an enjoyable film which I recommend to
Christians who watch movies, as one of the better films that you’ve probably
never seen.
Conti plays a newly elected Pope. One day while gardening (in his old clothes
as opposed to his Papal vestments,) he accidentally gets locked outside of his
Vatican residence, and through a series of events, winds up in a poor Italian
village where no one recognizes him as the Holy Father. The village is full of
real, human characters facing real human problems. The Pope, while keeping his identity
concealed, deals with the people and their issues including the down trodden,
the fallen, the outlaws, the disillusioned.
That is contrasted with the Vatican hierarchy, who are in panic mode
because the Pope is missing. It’s a great story, told extremely well, that
teaches some lessons of which we’d all do well to take note. It’s a wonderful movie, loaded with
redemption on many fronts.
But wait a minute there, Buster, why
would a card carrying Protestant Evangelical be touting a movie about
Catholics, and even the Pope? I can feel
the heated glares. Horrors of horrors! Has Dana backslidden? Did those sneaky old Catholics get to him in
a moment of weakness, and slip something in his drink? Is John Calvin spinning in his grave? What’s up with all of this?
Well, for any who might be casting the
evil eye in my direction right about now, let me say this about that…please,
have some decaf, and think again. One of
the 800 pound albino gorillas in the room is that the Protestants were started
by a Roman Catholic monk named Martin Luther.
Oh….
And, while I am not a fan of several
points of Roman Catholic theology and doctrine, there’s a corresponding amount
of Protestant Evangelical theology and doctrine that I’m not a fan of
either. Both the Protestants and the
Catholics have plenty of blood on their hands from burning each other at the
stake. I mean, really, how does it
demonstrate the character of Jesus Christ to take another human being who
fundamentally disagrees with your theology, and tie them to a post and set them
on fire, while watching self-righteously as they slowly burn to death?
Some of the most despicable and evil
people in this life with whom I’ve ever come in contact have been Protestant
Evangelicals. Are all Catholics
saved? No. Are all Protestants or Evangelicals
saved? No. Are all Catholics damned for eternity?
No. Are all Protestants and Evangelicals
damned for all eternity? No. And it’s time we stopped thinking in those
kinds of terms.
What matters supremely is faith in
Jesus. Salvation is faith in Christ,
period; with nothing else added on as a condition. Salvation is not faith in Christ, plus not
being a Catholic. Salvation isn’t faith
in Christ plus not being a Protestant either.
Christian salvation is not dependent on one’s theology (thankfully.) Nowhere in the Bible is one’s theological or
ecclesiastical belief or practice credited to them as righteousness. Faith in Christ, on the other hand, is.
And despite what many churches may teach
and think, I’ve known and do know some Catholic believers who are far better
practicing Christians than I am. I
neither endorse the Church of Rome nor the Protestant Evangelical Church as the
be-all end-all perfect church, because we all are sinners in need of redemption
when we make our entrance into this life.
Even the best of Christian organizations are administered and staffed by
human beings, who still struggle with the vestiges of original sin in their
natures, and who make mistakes and errors in judgment. I endorse faith in
Christ, and Him alone. We all might define all of the implications of just what
that might mean in different terms, but the one who knows, loves and serves
Christ, I’m certain we’ll see in Heaven.
While this might offend the sensibilities
of people on both sides of the great ecclesiastical divide, there are folks on
both of the aforementioned sides of said divide who are going to have to share
eternity in Heaven with each other.
There’s not going to be a Protestant section or a Catholic section in
Heaven. One’s church affiliation isn’t
going to be criteria for entrance into the new heaven and earth, unless church
affiliation is interpreted as being in THE CHURCH, the bride of Jesus
Christ.
Will it take Jesus’ physical return to get
us to stop disliking each other who disagree with each other’s theology? Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not preaching
universalism here. Being a Muslim or a
Buddhist or a Hindu is not the same at all as being a Christian. All roads do not lead to Heaven! The last I checked, both Catholics and
Protestants consider themselves Christians, with a fundamental agreement that
Jesus Christ is deity, and our earthly and eternal duty is to love and serve
Him, regardless of how that might be taught and expressed.
Let me pose a question. If, as many believe, there will be a real end
time anti-Christ (who might conceivably masquerade as either a Protestant or a
Catholic, or someone else altogether) who comes to power and vigorously
persecutes the Church, and we find ourselves on the proverbial wrong end of the
gun, much like our 1st century forefathers in the faith did, will
our differences matter?
If you’re a Protestant, on the run for
your life, and a Catholic Christian offers you shelter, sanctuary or aid of any
type, are you going to turn it down? And
the same applies to Catholic Christians on the run, which are offered help by a
Protestant. Will we not eat the other’s
bread, if hungry, or warm by their fire, if cold and wet? Or will we cling to our prejudices and die
miserable, hungry and cold with resources for our help in view? I mean really…is Protestant bread tastier
than Catholic bread…or vice versa?
Is it not time to start extending some
olive branches, and try (with God’s grace) to see Christ in the other guy (in
whom Christ dwells too) who might radically differ from us? Because there are both Protestants and
Catholics in whom the Spirit of God has made residence, even if we cannot
conceive of such. We’ll have all of
eternity to sort it out. And you can bet your boots that we will sort it out
then. I don’t think any of us will want
God to have to look over the seat and threaten to pull the car over because we
kids in the back can’t agree on theology.
Ain’t going to happen, Brothers and Sisters.
But, you might say, I just cannot accept
this or that belief that the other holds, just as there are beliefs and
practices that we hold dear and sacred that they cannot accept. But I think it’s time to quit the worn out
stereotypes and prejudices that have led us toward sinful attitudes and
feelings toward others for whom Christ died. We can agree to disagree without
vitriol.
There’s nothing in the Bible that says
that you have to accept the other’s theology or practices. You don’t have to accept their particulars
any more than they have to accept yours.
But you will have to share Heaven and the Lord’s presence for eternity
with all Christian believers, be them Catholic or Protestant.
One of the things I respect about the
Catholic Church is their ability to not split from other Catholics who are
different in their expression of Catholicism. There are very conservative
Catholics who hate abortion as much as Protestants do, and quite liberal
Catholics who see Che Guevara as a religious icon, but they are all
Catholics. Somehow they have found the
grace to keep it together under one tent, as it were.
We Protestants, on the other hand, are so
fragmented that there is no real, authoritative Protestant or Evangelical
Church. The Baptists don’t like the
Methodists, the Presbyterians don’t like the Pentecostals, who don’t like the
Anglicans, who don’t care much for the Lutherans, who aren’t all that big on
the Wesleyans, who don’t like the Disciples of Christ, and on and on it
goes.
There are even divisions in our own
denominations. In case you haven’t
noticed there are several different brands of Baptists, Presbyterians,
Episcopalians etc., etc. And don’t get me started on Calvinists and Arminians,
not to mention the myriad divisions that have come from the plethora of end
times teachings.
Christian unity is in the toilet. Our nation and world are going to hell in a
handbasket while we, who claim to know and follow Jesus Christ, stand around
and bicker and argue about things that are not going to make any difference
whatsoever once we get to Heaven. We need to wake up and repent of holding ill
will for someone, anyone for whom Christ died. Period.
We can all learn a thing or two from each
other without compromising our standards.
If the Gospel is our common banner, then what are we fighting about?
Many moons ago, I read a book, the name of
which and the author I cannot recall. It
was a true story, more autobiographical than anything. Anyway there was this Protestant
minister/missionary who lived in a village where there was a Catholic
priest/missionary also stationed. Now
when it came to doctrine, theology and church tradition, the two were as
different as night and day, and never the twain were ever going to meet,
because after all, Protestants and Catholics don’t like each other all that
much, or at best are just indifferent towards each other.
The Protestant missionary got under
conviction about the lack of relationship between the two (both God’s
servants), so he got some ice cream and called upon the priest. While they differed greatly in their
theological beliefs, he discovered that they both had an affinity for ice cream
in common. And from that common ground a
friendship developed, and the two worked together and helped each other for the
good of the community to which God had called them both.
When I returned to NC, after a disastrous
stint of ministry in the Philadelphia area, I found myself more spiritually
ragged than if I had been dragged down five miles of gravel road. Suffice to
say, I encountered the devil (and not metaphorically either,) and limped away a
bloody and beaten man. For now, I’ll say no more, as the memory is something on
which I do not care to dwell.
My Protestant contemporaries thought me
mad when I began to talk about my experience, because we erudite Protestants
don’t believe in the devil any more. He
doesn’t fit into our new age vision of modern Evangelicalism. Satan? Oh, come now; that’s so Middle Ages.
That’s when I met Father Stott, the local
Catholic priest. Father Stott was a US
Navy medic, assigned to a detachment of combat Marines in Viet Nam. He was short and stocky, and he camped in the
local rectory. It was a very nice house,
the rectory. He got a phone call while I
was having coffee with him once, and he asked me to go to his room on the top
floor (attic) and retrieve a particular book for him, while he finished the
conversation with whoever had called him.
I went into his room, and was surprised to
find no bed. Instead there was a
sleeping bag unrolled on the floor, with a short table and a lamp. It looked like a homeless guy lived there. He was a funny and intense guy, who always
prefaced his responses to me with, “That’s the trouble with you
Protestants….” He died a few years
later, badly sickened from exposure to Agent Orange while doing his two tours
of duty in Nam.
But you know what Father Stott didn’t
do? He didn’t make me feel crazy when I
told him of my brush with evil incarnate.
He understood that which my Protestant contemporaries couldn’t have
understood, and didn’t want to understand in a million years. His parting words to me, I’ll never
forget. He took his crucifix and holding
the short end, with the cross beam acting as a cross guard, and pointed the
long end directly at me, and told me that I needed to take my cross and turn it
into a sword, just as he thrust it at me. It was dramatic and potent, and as
long as God allows me sanity and cognizance, it will be with me. Not too bad for an old Catholic guy,
huh? I really miss him, and he’ll be one
of the guys I’ll look up in Heaven when I get there.
Maybe it’s time to go buy some ice
cream….
Dana
++++++++++++++++++++
John
responded on Jun 27, 2016 at 3:22 PM
Hey
Dana
I do remember that movie. It should
be on the required movie list for all Christians.
Sometimes I wonder why we
(Christians) don’t get more involved as did the movie Pope in his incognito ministry.
For the average American Christian,
it’s, generally, not a lack of hearing the challenging Word of God to either
convict or encourage them to get involved. There is Christian radio, Christian
television and ministries on many channels abound, and CD’s are a dime a dozen.
There are bumper stickers on many cars in church parking lots, so all those
people advertising Christianity must surely be
out doing God’s work. Is it fear? (See Gideon or Joshua) Is it busyness?
(That excuse is old because who isn’t.) Is it because I’m too tired? (I’m not
being facetious, but go to bed earlier; and look to the Lord who gives perfect
peace. Concerning perfect peace, yes I know that sometimes it takes awhile
before the struggling with a problem is
over, but God will give peace and sleep can come.) Or is the husband, or wife,
reluctant to get more involved? (I’m human. I don’t have a good answer for that
one yet. If God’s shown it to me I haven’t listened....)
You mention the “great
ecclesiastical divide” and talk much about Catholics and Protestants. I would
agree about the divide, but it can be different. Take me for example. My father
left the Catholic Church when a teenager, but all that side of the family is
still Catholic. I’ve been to many Catholic services, weddings and funerals, and
often felt God’s presence. Once, while visiting my cousins in Ohio, we stayed
overnight after the wedding to attend church with them all the next day. That
morning their parish church (nearly the size of the National Cathedral in
Washington, D.C.) had a guest speaker. He was an African Catholic Brother who
was visiting parishes around the country to thank them for their support of his
church in Africa. Other than being Black, he sounded just like Billy Graham, and
after he got wound up, it was a real barn burner of a message. He even had an
altar call at the end of the service. Afterward, I went forward to pray with
that Christian brother, arm in arm, in the altar area. Denomination, color,
status—nothing separated us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
I think that without being in the
ebb and flow of life, interacting with people and periodically going to other
churches than one’s own, it is easy to think we’re the only ones and ours is
the only denomination that will make it to heaven. I think there even might have been a little
of that in me after I was saved, but fortunately, God worked that out of me
because I was willing to let Him do it.
You wrote about divisions even
within our own denominations:
There are even divisions in our own
denominations. In case you haven’t
noticed there are several different brands of Baptists, Presbyterians,
Episcopalians etc., etc. And don’t get me started on Calvinists and Arminians,
not to mention the myriad divisions that have come from the plethora of end
times teachings.
On this point, I’ll take minor issue.
People are like snowflakes (not the current derogatory term for whiny, young
adults, but literal snowflakes) and just as God makes snowflakes, He makes
people—the same, but different. When someone of humanity becomes a Christian,
that someone becomes one with Christ and with all those who have also done the
same. While we don’t hear it much today, we become brothers and sisters with
each other, in Christ. Or hereditarily,
there is similar DNA, but there are differences. I believe so it is with Christians-similar
but different. With very few exceptions (one being in Act 2:41-47, the
implication is that everyone got along), I believe the Bible is replete with
examples of people—families, friends, disciples, countries—who did not
harmonize as I think you are challenging us to do.
I’m not saying we shouldn’t try. We
should. But, until Jesus comes back or we go to heaven, I just don’t see the
unity you seem to be expressing. We will have divisions. Even in a marriage, where the husband and wife
become one, there are differences; although; hopefully, those differences get
fewer and fewer as time passes.
I’ll end by going back to your
beginning, about the incognito Pope. Two things. The first is as our world
spins faster and faster electronically, and those toys get more and more
frequent, and by using the toys and their programs (like Facebook, etc.) while
they may seem to be connecting people, to the contrary I believe they are
subtly and surely separating people to the place where humanity will lose its
humanness. Then we’ll be nothing more than just an electronic piece of plastic
in ones’ hands or on one’s desk that we can turn off or walk away from and
leave the thing—not a person—on the other end to his or her own devices.
And two, when I was writing
professionally, I wrote an article for one of the Salvation Army publications
(I think) titled the Stalactite Diner. It
was a challenge to Christians to exude hospitality, in spite of all of the
excuses they could come up with, even the legitimate ones. If time is short
(and I fall into that school of thinking, in spite of the fact that time has
been short since Paul was writing the Epistles) and Jesus could return before I
hit “send” on my computer to forward this to you, hospitality is not an option.
https://www.openbible.info/topics/hospitality While we may never eliminate the divisions,
if we can be genuinely hospitable and enjoy a meal together and some ice cream,
I think the bridges across the divides will get shorter.
John
++++++++++++++++++Dana responds to John’s reply on Thu, Jun 29, 2017 at 4:13 PM
John,
you wrote:
“…I believe the Bible is replete
with examples of people—families, friends, disciples, countries—who did not
harmonize as I think you are challenging us to do.
I’m not saying we shouldn’t try. We
should. But, until Jesus comes back or we go to heaven, I just don’t see the
unity you seem to be expressing. We will have divisions. Even in a marriage, where the husband and
wife become one, there are differences; although; hopefully, those differences
get fewer and fewer as time passes.”
I don’t disagree with you that we are all
unique—we are made that way by God’s design.
But diversity and unity should not be incompatible. There is neither
anything wrong with thinking about or practicing one’s faith in a manner
different from someone else, nor is it wrong to fellowship with those of like
mind.
You use the illustration of marriage. And yes, husbands and wives often
disagree. But the married couple
shouldn’t let those differences turn into animosity, leading to separation and
divorce. It is OK to have differences,
but our different Christian organizations have already separated and divorced.
Using the old example of the man given a
bundle of sticks, and told to break them, he found he couldn’t complete the
task as long as the sticks remained in the bundle. When he untied the bundle, he could break all
the sticks individually. Now all those
sticks were individually distinct from each other. Laid side by side, the differences in all
those sticks would be painfully obvious.
It’s OK that they are different—it was God’s design that made them
so. But outside of the bundle, they were
all vulnerable to breakage. Together,
though individually distinct from each other, they were unbreakable.
On 9/11, American people of all stripes
and persuasions came together to rally around a common theme. For a (brief)
spell, they were all just Americans.
Their being American wasn’t hindered by their many differences, Black,
White, Democrat, Republican, etc. They
were united despite their differences.
Is it going to take a spiritual 9/11 in
order to get all of the different Christians to come together under the banner
of Christ? As I said, in Heaven, we will
all (though individual in original makeup) be united around the throne. The Bible says we will all look like Christ
and be like Christ, so why not now?
I realize that we cannot and will not
totally escape our sinful natures and human frailties in this life, and we will
not have some utopian Heaven on earth in this lifetime—but being that that end
is what God has in store for us eventually, shouldn’t we strive to achieve as
much of that as possible? To say that
you “…just don’t see the unity [I] seem
to be expressing,” because we all have differences, can, if not careful,
become a cop out for not trying.
Pentecostals do not have to become Presbyterians,
and Protestants do not have to become Catholics, and and and and and and and…,
but to throw in the towel and give up on the idea of trying to establish a
unified Church (just because we all have differences) under the banner of
Christ, to me is a sin, of which we all will suffer the consequences.
Our differences, if we let them, make us
stronger. The United States Army Special
Forces (Green Berets) are organized into teams, each of which has people with
different talents and areas of expertise.
There are medics and demolition experts.
There are sharpshooters and there are strategists. They all function together as a unit, despite
the fact that there exist very different areas of background, experience,
training and skills.
We either work toward unity or we
don’t. Yes, each snowflake that falls
from the winter sky is an individual, completely different from the next. But together, they can make beautiful scenery,
and together they can make an avalanche.
And, individual as they all may be from each other, one thing is
absolutely certain, they are all cold. As long as they stay cold, they
remain. The minute they cease being
cold, they vanish.
We will never be sin free this side of
Heaven. Because that’s the case, should
we just give into temptation and go on and sin?
That’s a silly proposition, but made to make a not so silly point. We
will all never be alike, but we should not let those differences keep us from
reaching out to the other guy(s) and working at the
Christian trade, of trying to make a difference in our culture and world. If the “world” saw Protestants and Catholics
working together instead of being at each other’s throats, what impact might
that have?
Dana
++++++++++++++++++++++On Thu, Jun 29, 2017 at 8:01 PM John closes with
Hi Dana
In your response from earlier today, you asked:
Is it going to take a
spiritual 9/11 in order to get all of the different Christians to come together
under the banner of Christ?
Yes.
Your
friend and brother in Christ
John
